Battery powered feed cart

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a battery powered feed cart having a relatively long, high and narrow body profile and including a feed box or hopper provided with a series of augers for distributing feed from the cart into a livestock feeding area. The battery powered feed cart is provided with a low, centrally disposed, slideable battery drawer which may be selectively extended outwardly from either side of the feed cart for easy and convenient access and serviceability. Also, the present feed cart is provided with a two speed, forward-reverse transmission and a unique control linkage for actuating said transmission in an efficient and orderly manner and generally providing a control medium that prevents premature and inadvertent &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;on the go&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; shifting between forward and reverse.

Weaver et a1.

[ Sept. 25, 1973 BATTERY POWERED FEED CART [75] Inventors: Frank N.Weaver; Keith B.

Anderson, both of East Earl, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Weaverline Corporation,

Churchtown, Pa.

22 Filed: May 31, 1972 21 Appl.No.: 258,456

[52] US. Cl. 119/52 B, 74/473 R, 180/65, l80/68.5 [51] Int. Cl. A01k5/00 [58] Field of Search 119/51 R, 52 B; 180/65 R, 68.5, 70; 74/473 R,475, 476, 477

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,209,962 12/1916 Heath180/65 R X 1,678,033 7/1928 Brumbaugh... 180/68.5 2,221,266 ll/1940Roach 119/52 B X 2,941,505 6/1960 Middlen 119/52 B X 3,003,573 10/1961Lorenz 180/68.5 2/1969 l-laen et a1 119/52 B 3,625,184 12/1971 Patz119/52 B Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. A.Oliff Attorney-Larry L. Coats [57] ABSTRACT The present inventionrelates to a battery powered feed cart having a relatively long, highand narrow body profile and including a feed box or hopper provided witha series of augers for distributing feed from the cart into a livestockfeeding area. The battery powered feed cart is provided with a low,centrally disposed, slideable battery drawer which may be selectivelyextended outwardly from either side of the feed cart for easy andconvenient access and serviceability. Also, the present feed cart isprovided with a two speed, forward-reverse transmission and a uniquecontrol linkage for actuating said transmission in an efficient andorderly manner and generally providing a control medium that preventspremature and inadvertent on the go shifting between forward andreverse.

10 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEPZSISH 3'760'770 SHEET 3 0F 4The present invention relates to livestock feeding vehicles and moreparticularly .to a type having a long,

1 narrow and high'body profile and utilized to transport feed from astorage area, such as asilo, to a feeding area and particularly adaptedto distribute feed therefrom intothe livestock feeding area.-

Electric powered'vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, especiallyin utility applications'where the vehicle is repeatedly used in the samelimited locality. In

designing electric powered vehicles, it has long been recognized thatinorder to furnish sufficient energy over a reasonable period of time thatsufficient storage 1 space must be provided within the vehicle'toaccomodate storagebatteries. Because storage batteries are naturallybulky and massive, the space required is most often rather substantial,especially where the vehicle requires power to perform working-functionsnot directly related to the motive power requirements of the vehiclesuch as is common with many types of agricultural machines. I

Thus, the massive and spacious nature of storage batteries havepresented problems for designers of electric vehicles, particularlyproblems relative to (l) the placement of the batteries within thevehicle, and (2the manner of gaining access to the batteries for serviceand repair. In many instances the weight of the batteries alone accountfor over 25 per cent of the vehicles total weight, and therefore, if thevehicle is to have substantial maneuverability, it becomes necessary todispose the batteries in a low central portion of the total vehicle toprevent tipping during operation. Also, it is important to'be abletogain quick and convenient access to the batteries for repairs andservice without having to move the batteries completely from theirnormal storage location.

Furthermore, in some electric vehicles the transmission control is suchthat the operator may inadvertently shift between forward" and reversewithout stopping or' slowing the vehicle. Such a situation isundesirable inasmuch as on thego shifting may result in serious damageto the transmission besides presenting a safety hazard to the operatorand others-in the same vicinity.

SUMMARY 'OF THE INVENTION In view of the above discussed problemspresented in electric vehicle design, Applicants have devised a batterypowered feed cart that has exceptionally good maneuverabilitycharacteristics while providing quick;

easy and convenient access to the batteries housed within the cart.Specifically, the cart is provided with a long, narrow and high bodyprofile, the narrow body enabling the cart to passthrough narrowpassageways while the length and height give the cart the necessarycapacity needed in the livestock feeding operation.

Contributing to the maneuverability of the battery cart quadrant with alinkage structure interconnecting said transmission with said controllever such that lateral side to side movement shifts between forward andreverse" and fore-and-aft movement shifts between high and low speeds.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to providea highly maneuverable electric powered feed cart with an optimum bodydesign that is suitable for operation in close quarters, and isparticularly provided with alow centrallyoriented'center of gravity thatenables the feed cart to resist tipping and turn over. i

, Specifically, it is the object of the present invention to provide abattery powered feed cart having a relatively long, narrow, and highbody profile; and wherein said body is provided with a slideable batterydrawer that may be extended from either side of the cart, wherebyservice and repair may readily and conveniently be made.

Moreover, another object of the present invention resides in theprovision of a movable battery drawer that enables one to gain access toall the batteries carried thereby without requiring the entire drawerand batteries to be removed entirely from the confines of the cartsbody, thereby minimizing the lever arm effect realized by extendingthe'massive batteries away from the central most portion of the body. Afurther .object of the present invention is to provide the feed cartwith .a control linkage for a two speed, forward reverse transmissionthatis simple, reliable and particularly adapted to prevent shiftingbetween forward and reverse while the cart is moving at an appreciablespeed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent and obvious from a study of the following description andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe battery powered feed cart drawn in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the feed carts undercarriagestructure, particularly illustrating the final wheel drive.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sliding battery drawer employed withinthe present feed cart.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a spring loaded locking pinutilized to securely station the sliding battery drawer within the feedcart.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of an adjustable shaft mountingstructure for the final drive; the adjustable shaft having a pair ofspaced apart chain sprockets for transmitting torque from thetransmission to a wheel differential. I

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the adjustable shaftshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an electrical diagram illustrating the electrical circuitry ofthe battery powered feed cart.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the basic components of the transmissioncontrol linkage.

FIG. is a fragmentary side elevational view of the control linkage shownin FIG. 9.

FIGS. 11-14 are a series of views showing the transmission controllinkage in various positions, each position corresponding to a distincttransmission setting.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the drawings,particularly FIGS. 1-3, a battery powered feed cart is shown therein andindicated generally by the numeral 20. The feed cart 20 basicallycomprises a mobile undercarriage chassis structure 22 having a pair oflaterally spaced front drive wheels 24 carried by an axle 26, and a rearwheel 28 preferably of the caster type. The undercarriage 22, which inthe present embodiment is a weld assembly, further includes a pair ofside walls 23, 25,'each side wall having a generally rectangular opening27 formed therein which, as will be discussed subsequently, enables asliding battery drawer to be extended from. either side of the cart 20.

Mounted within the undercarriage 22 is a dual drive d.c. electric motor30 having a pair of drive sheaves 32, '34, each drive sheave being fixedon a shaft extending from the motor. Although the electric motor may beof any desired horsepower rating depending on the total powerrequirements of the cart, the present feed cart which has a 30 bushelcapacity utilizes a 1.6 horsepower motor. The motor 30 functions todrive the feeding components of the feed cart 20 and also serves as asource of motive power for moving the vehicle.

First, with respect to providing motive power to the feed cart vehicle,it will be noted from FIG. 3 that the innermost drive sheave 32 of themotor 30 is drivingly interconnected to a transmission input drivesheave 38 by a belt 40, the input drive sheave 38 being operative todrive a two speed, forward-reverse transmission 36. Transmission 36includes a pair of actuating or control arms 36a, 36b, each arm beingadapted to change either the speed (high orlow) or direction (forward orreverse) of the transmission. Details of the inner transmissionstructure are not shown as they are clearly not material to the presentinvention. However, should a detail understanding of such a transmissionbe desired, one is referred to a model 36 transmission manufactured byJ. B. Foote Foundry Company of Fredericktown, Ohio.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, it will be noted that a clutching sheave35 is carried by a pivotally mounted bracket 37, the clutching sheave 35being aligned with the belt 40 for selective engagement therewith forclutching and declutching of the final drive. To actuate the bracket 37and consequently the clutching sheave 35, a hand lever 39 (FIG. 1) ispivotally mounted to the rear of the feed cart and operatively connectedto said bracket 37 by a pair of links, 41a, 41b, interconnected by abell crank 410. In essence, the present clutch design is quiteconventional inasmuch as the hand lever 39 simply actuates saidclutching sheave back and forth to tension and slacken belt 40. v i

Driving torque is transmitted from transmission 36 via an output drivesprocket 42 which is drivingly interconnected by a first chain 60 to afirst reduction sprocket 44 fixed on an adjustable jack shaft 48. Afurther speed reduction is realized by a second reduction sprocket 46also fixed on said adjustable jack shaft 48 and drivingly interconnectedto a conventional wheel differential 64 by a second chain 62, the wheeldifferential being operative to drive the front wheels 24.

As noted above, jack shaft 48 is particularly designed to be adjustablefor simultaneously adjusting the tension of each of the chains 60, 62.With reference'to FIGS. 6 and 7, it will be observed that shaft 48 isrotatively mounted within a pair of axially spaced bearings '49, eachbearing 49 being welded,or secured by other suitable means, to anL-shaped mounting bracket 56.

The L-shaped brackets 56 are disposed about the outer sides of a pair oflaterally spaced inner support plates 50 formed within saidundercarriage 22. Cut outs 51 are formed within each inner support plate50 to accommodate the jack shaft 48. Each bracket 56 is maintainedadjacent a respective inner support plate 50 by a pair of side boltassemblies 54, each bolt assembly extending through a generallyfore-and-aft elongated slot within the particular L-shaped bracket 56and a generally vertical elongated slot formed within the adjacent innerplate, as best seen in FIG. 7. The brackets 56 are interconnected abouttheir inwardly directed ends by an end plate 53 having a draw bolt 55threaded therein and generally abutting against a cross support 52 fixedbetween the inner plates 50. Thus, it is seen that by moving theL-shaped brackets 56 relative to the inner support plates 50, results inthe tension of chains 60, 62 being adjusted. Thus, to adjust the tensionin chains 60, 62, the side bolt assemblies 54 are loosened which enablesthe L-shaped brackets to be moved either foreand-aft or vertically dueto the elongated slots in the inner plates 50 and L-shaped brackets 56.Movement in both directions, fore-and-aft and vertical, is deemednecessary because the two chains 60, 62 are disposed in different planes(FIG. 2) and in the present application are not necessarily of equallengths. Therefore, in practice,.after the side bolt assemblies 54 havebeen loosened, the draw bolt 55 may be turned against cross support 52,thus moving brackets 56 in the fore-and-aft direction.

In the present embodiment, movement of the brackets 56 inthefore-and-aft direction is effective to adjust chain 60. Once the propertension is reached on chain 60, the brackets 56 may be moved verticallyto adjust the tension in the second chain 62 without significantlyeffecting the tension already set with respect to chain 60. It should bepointed out that the brackets 56 are particularly disposed such that theplane thereof lies generally between the planes of the two chain drives60, 62, as best seen in FIG. 2. However, the brackets 56 are slightlymore aligned with chain 62 interconnecting sprocket 44 with the wheeldifferential 64 in order that the maximum shock loads encountered by thefinal reduction will be more fully absorbed by the brackets 56.

FIGS. 9-14 illustrate a control linkage system for the two speed,forward-reverse transmission 36. Specifically, the control linkagesystem comprises a control lever 66 pivotally mounted about the rear ofthe feed cart 20 (FIG. 1) and generally disposed within a shroud 80 andshiftable therein within the confines of an H- shaped shifting quadrant,not shown. The lower portion of the control lever 66 is fixed to anintermediate actuating tab 68 having a longitudinal slot 70 formedtherein. Intermediate actuating tab 68 is connected directly totransmission actuating arm 36a by a connecting link 76. (It should benoted that in the present design actuating arm 36a is operative to shiftbetween forward and reverse.) Pivotall'y-mounted about the rear of thefeed cart generally below the upper portion of control lever 66 is abell crank 72, the bell crank being pivotally mounted about axis 73. Thebell crank 72 is generally disposed in a plane just above theintermediate actuating tab 68- and is operatively connected thereto by astud 74 that extends from the bell crank and is confined within thelongitudinal slot 70. Bell crank 72 is operatively connected to theforward-reverse transmission'ac tuating arm 36b by a connectinglink.78that extends in general parallel relationship relative to theaforementioned connecting link 76. Thus, as viewed in FIGS. 1 1-14,lateral movement of the control lever 66,

and consequently the intermediate actuating tab 68, is

effective to'pivot the bellcrank 72. either clockwise orcounterclockwise about pivot point '73. Movement of the intermediateactuating tab 68 to the left results in the bell crank 72 being pivotedclockwise and the transmission actuating arm 36b'being pulled to theforward position, as shown in FIGS.'11 and 13. Movement of theintermediate actuating tab 68 to the right results inthebell crank 72being pivoted counterclockwise and'causing the transmission actuatingarm 36b to be shifted'to the reverse position. It will be noted that thelateral back-and-forth movement of the intermediate actuating tab 68 isnot effective to shift the other transmission actuating arm 36a becausethe distance between the arm 36a and the actuating tab 68 is relativelyunchanged.

1 Once a selection of direction has been made, then the speed isselected by moving the control lever 66 in either a fore or aftdirection relative to the feed cart. Referring again to FIGS. 11-14, itwill be observed that the forward movement of the actuating tab 68results in the transmission speed arm 36a being shifted to the low speedposition, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In similar manner, the movementof the actuating tab 68 rearwardly results in the transmission speedactuating arm 36a being shifted to a high speed position (FIGS. 13 and14). It will be observed that the fore and aft movement of the actuatingtab 68 does not effect the forward-reverse directional setting alreadymade because the longitudinal slot 70 formed within tab 68 allowsactuating tab 68 to move fore-and-aft without effecting the bell crank72. Thus, it is seen that the present control linkage system for-the twospeed forwardreverse transmission allows the operator to select eitherof the following four gear selections: (1) forward low speed, as shownin FIG. 11 (F-L), (2) forward high speed, as shown in FIG. 13 (F-I-I),(3) reverse low speed, as shown in FIG. 12 (R-L), and (4) reverse highspeed, as shown in FIG. 14 (R-I-I). Therefore, it will be appreciatedthat the present control linkage system for the two speed,forward-reverse transmission allows the operator to shift easily andconveniently between forward and reverse directions, and furtherprovides means for shifting between low and high speeds for eitherdirectional choices made. Also, it is apparent that in shifting betweenforward and reverse the control linkage must pass through a completelyneutral position. Specifically, the control lever '66 must pass throughthe transverse section of the I-I-shaped shifting quadrant in order toshift between forward and reverse, while movement in the longitudinalsections of the quadrant simply results in a speed change. This is quiteadvantageous in such a mobile cart as presently disclosed between it hasthe practical effect of preventing the operator from shifting betweenforward and reverse while proceeding at an appreciable speed and therebypreventing in some instances damage to the entire transmissionstructure.

Referring back to FIG. 1 and continuing to make reference to the generalfeed cart 20, a hopper or feed box is generally indicated by the numeral82 and is disposed squarely above the undercarriage structure 22.Referring to the hopper or feed box 82 in detail it will be observedthat the hopper or feed box comprises a pair of laterally spacedgenerally upright side walls 84 and the side walls are joined atopposite ends of the feed cart by respective end walls, not particularlyshown in the drawings. Thus, the hopper or feed box 82 generallycomprises a rectangular type container structure for containing variousfeed stuffs to be distributed within the livestock feeding area. Thefeed box 82 further inthereof always disposed between the two floors 86,88.

The present slat chain conveyor is provided with a tension adjustingmechanism 92, as shown in FIG. 1, which allows the operator toselectively adjust the tension of the chain that carries the variousslats across the upper floor 86. Also, the tension adjusting mechanism92 is spring loaded to continuously maintain an adjusting force on thechain to compensate for wear and the possible presence of materialbetween the chain and any of the chain sprockets. As will becomeapparent from the subsequent description of the present feed cart, thechain slat conveyor 90, sometimes referred to as an apron. conveyor, isutilized to carry the feed material towards the front of the feed cartwhere the material is fed out by a series of augers into the livestockfeeding area.

As shown in dotted lines in FIG. '1, the forward portion of the feed box82 includes a series'of generally vertically spaced and aligned augers,these augers being referred to from the bottom up as augers 94, 96, 98,100. Each of the'augers just referred to is supported by a shaft,'theshafts of the respective augers being denoted from the bottom up bynumerals 95, 97, 99, 101. Although the particular structure of theaugers are not shown in detail, it should be pointed out that the loweraugers 94, 96, extends transversely across the lower forward portion ofthe feed cart 20 and are particularly operative to auger material fromthe feed box 82 out a port formed on the side of the feed box oppositethe side shown in FIG. 1. The remaining two augers 98, 100, disposedabove the lower augers 94, 96, are provided with reversed splitflighting that is effective to pull and convey the material inwardlytherefrom, with the particular auger flightings of the upper augersbeing staggered to avoid overloading in one single area.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1 and particularly to the drive system fordriving the vertically spaced augers, it is seenthat a feeder startcontrol handle 102 is stationed about the rear of the feed cart 20 andoperatively connected to an idler arm 107 by a connecting link 104. Theidler arm 107 includesv a rotatively mounted idler 106 that isparticularly aligned for enspring 107 disposed about the forward portionof connecting link 104. Shaft 97 includes a drive sprocket 1 12 fixedthereto and disposed inwardly of the large sheave 1 10. Drive sprocket 112 is operative to drive the lowermost auger 94 and the shaft thereof 95by a chain drive which includes a chain 118 trained around the drivesprocket 112 and a pair of idlers 114 and further trained around a lowerauger drive sprocket 116. Thus, it is seen that by the actuation of thefeeder start handle 102- the two lowermost augers 94, 96 are driven suchthat the two angers feed material out the port formed in the one side ofthe hopper or feed box 82.

Also, shaft 97 further includes a coaxial drive sheave (not particularlyshown) that is disposed inwardly of the larger diameter sheave 1 and isoperative to drive another sheave 122 which is fixed to and rotatablewith shaft 99, driving torque being applied to sheave 122 by a secondarydrive belt 120. Driving torque is again transferred from shaft 99 toshaft 101 by a chain 128, the chain 128 being trained around an innerdrive sprocket 124 fixed to shaft 99 and a larger drive sprocket 126fixed to the uppermost shaft 101. Moreover, chain sprocket 126 isutilized to drive a ratchet wheel 130 which is secured to shaft 132,shaft 132 being operative to drive the chain slat conveyor indicatedgenerally by the numeral 90. In particular, a connecting rod 134 ispivotally connected to the chain sprocket 126 at one end and includes apair of arms 136 (only one of which is shown) pivotally connected at theother end. The arms 136 have one end pivotally mounted coaxially to theshaft 132. Also, arms 136 includes a spring biased dog 138 that isoperatively engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 130. Thus, asthe chain sprocket 126 is rotated, the dog 138 moves back and forthacross the teeth of the ratchet wheel 130. It will be seen from FIG. 1that on the fore stroke the dog engages the teeth and causes the wheelto rotate a certain degree, driving the slat conveyor 90 in the process.On the other hand, during the aft stroke, the dog 138 is spring biasedto ratchet past the teeth of the wheel 130.

To start the upper two angers 98, 100 and all of the other driveelements driven thereby, a secondary feeder control handle 140, which isalso disposed about the rear of the feed cart must be actuated.Secondary control handle 140 basically performs the two followingoperations: 1) it serves to actuate a clutch mechanism 146 for clutchingand declutching the drive extending from shaft 97 to shaft 99, and (2)it further serves to actuate a cam plate 162 which partially covers aselected segment of teeth on the ratchet wheel 130, thereby providing acontrol for the rate of speed of the slat conveyor 90.

First, with respect to the cam plate 162, it will be observed that thisplate is rotatively mounted about shaft 132 and by moving control handle140 upwardly in increments the cam plate 162 is adapted to respond tomove counterclockwise around the ratchet wheel 130, therebyprogressively exposing more teeth of the ratchet wheel for engagementwith dog 138 and consequently increasing the speed of the slat conveyorin the process.

Referring now to the clutch mechanism 146 which is controlled bysecondary feeder control handle 140, it will be observed that thisclutchmechanism includes an idler 148 aligned for engagement with secondarydrive belt 120, the idler being rotatively mounted on an arm 150 that ispivotally mounted to a side 84 of the feed cart. A spring 154 isconnected to the upper end of arm 150 and is normally operative to biasidler 148 for engagement with belt 120. The arm 150 includes a tab 151fixed to an intermediate portion thereof and having an aperture formedtherein for receiving the forward end of the connecting link 142.Although not shown, the forward portion of the connecting link 142includes a stop that normally engages the tab 151 and maintains idler148 in its rearmost position which maintains the secondary belt in a nontension position. Thus, by actuating the control lever 140, theconnecting link 142 is moved forwardly, allowing the spring 154 to biasidler 148 into engagement with belt 120, thereby causing driving torqueto be transferred from shaft 97 to shaft 99. Also, connecting link 142is operative to gradually move a hinged baffle structure 156 from agenerally horizontal position to a vertical position adjacent the frontend wall as the control handle is progressively moved upwardly. It willbe observed from FIG. 1 that the hinged baffle structure 156 includes aconnecting arm 158 that is engaged with a stop 160 secured to theconnecting link 142. Therefore, as the feed material is emptied from thefeed cart and the speed of the slat conveyor is progressively increased,the baffle structure is lowered progressively in the process, allowingthe feed material disposed thereabove to more easily drift downward intothe lower forward portion of the feed cart where it may be readilyconveyed from the feed cart. One of the principal reasons for the bafflestructure 156 is to generally restrict the downward flow of materialfrom the upper forward portion of the cart when the hopper or feed box82 is in a full loaded condition. Thus it is seen that the secondaryfeeder control handle 140 is operative to control the speed of the slatconveyor 90, the clutch mechanism 146 for the upper two augers, and thehinge baffle structure 156.

Turning to FIG. 4, a battery drawer is shown therein and indicatedgenerally by the numeral 164. The battery drawer 164 comprised agenerally flat bottom 166 with side edges 167 extending upwardly fromopposite sides thereof. The bottom plate 166 also has two end channelmembers 168 secured at opposite ends thereof and a center channel member170 secured generally between the end members 168. Disposed on oppositeends of the battery drawer 164 are generally upright end plates 172, theend plates being particularly adapted to assume a coplanar relationshipwith the sides 23, 25 of the undercarriage structure when the batterydrawer is completely confined within the undercarriage structure 22.Transversely spaced along each side of the edge 167 is a series ofrotatively mounted rollers 174. The battery drawer 164 is adapted to bereceived within the opening 27 formed in each of the side walls 23, 25of the undercarriage structure, and the rollers 174 are particularlyadapted to be confined within guide rails 173 that are an integral partof the undercarriage structure 22 and extend transversely thereacross inlateral spaced apart relationship. On either side of the battery drawer164, is provided a locking pin 176 that extends up through one of theend channel members 168 and is turned outwardly to project through arespective end plate 172 for convenient operator access. The locking pin176 is spring biased by a spring 178 that is confined around a portionthereof within the channel structure, the

spring 178 being specifically confined between a washer 180 fixed to thepin 176 and the upper portion of the end channel member 168. The bottomportion of the locking pin 176 is tapered to facilitate insertionthereof into an aperture formed at a predetermined location within theundercarriage structure 22, as best seen in FIG. 5. Furthermore, thebattery drawer 164 is provided on one side with a stop 175, as shown inFIG. 4, the stop being particularly spaced to engage either side wall23, 25 of the undercarriage structure when the battery drawer isextended from either sideof the cart.

The battery drawer 164 of the present embodiment is adapted tocontain'four six volt batteries with two batteries being disposed oneach side of the central channel member 170 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Itis observed that a central rod 182 projects upwardly from the centralchannel member and includes a holding bracket 184 (FIG. 3) which may besecurely tightened down on the batteries 186, thereby stabilizing thebatteries and preventing them from shifting around within the drawer.

Therefore, it is seen that to gain access to the batteries 186 forrepair or service the operator simply pulls the locking pin 176 up andslides the battery drawer 164 from a selected side of the cart. Becauseof the presence of stop 175 the drawer will only extend approximatelyhalf way out from the cart such that only the two batteries on thatparticular side may be reached. To gain access to the other twobatteries, it follows that the drawer must be extended from the otherside of the cart. This, is quite advantageous because of the substantialmass associated with the batteries is prevented from being disposed asubstantial distance outwardly of the cart which, because of a lever armeffect, could possibly cause the entire cart to tip over. Also, againbecause of the great mass associated with the batteries, the centrallocation of the battery drawer and the batteries contained therein givethe present feed cart 20 a very favorable center of gravity which allowsthe feed cart to be freely maneuvered around the livestock feedingareawithout significant danger of tipping over. 1

Turning to FIG. 8, a brief reference should be made to the power systemof the present feed cart 20. It will be noted that the four batteries186 are connected in series to yield 24 volts and that the electricmotor 30 is actuated by a solenoid 190 through a conventional switch188. Although not shown, the present electrical system may preferablyinclude a recharging receptacle that allows the batteries to be chargedfrom an appropriate recharging unit.

The terms, upperlower, forward rearward etc. have been used hereinmerely for the convenience of the foregoing specification and in theappended claims to describe the batterypowered feed cart and its partsas oriented in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that theseterms are .in no way limiting to the invention since thebattery poweredfeed cart may obviously be disposed in many different positions, when inactual use.

The present invention, of course, may be carried out in other specificways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit andessential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange are intended to be embraced herein.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: V

1. A battery powered feed cart having a relatively long, high and narrowbody profile comprising in combination: an undercarriage chassisstructure having a pair of spaced apart side walls; wheel means mountedunderneath said undercarriage chassis structure; a feed box disposedabove said undercarriage chassis structure; means mounted within saidfeed box for distributing feed therefrom; an electric motor mounted tosaid undercarriage structure; auger drive means interconnected betweensaid electric motor and said auger drive means for driving an augermeans; wheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor with saidwheel means for driving said wheel means; a battery drawer transverselydisposed and slideably mounted generally midway between the side wallsof said undercarriage structure having a relatively low and centrallocation within said feed cart and being slidable outwardly from eitherside of said undercarriage structure; and battery means disposed withinsaid battery drawer and operatively connected to said electric motor forpowering said electric motor.

2. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein saidbattery drawer extends substantially the width of said undercarriagestructure and includes a pair of laterally spaced upright end plateswhich are generally co-planar with said side walls of said undercarriagestructure when said battery drawer is wholly contained within saidundercarriage structure.

3. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 2, wherein saidbattery drawer includes a flat bottom plate extending between said endplates and wherein said drawer includes a plurality of rollers disposedon each side thereof with said rollers being engageable with a pair ofguide rails disposed transversely within said undercarriage structure.

4. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 3, wherein saidbattery drawer includes a spring biased locking pin, and wherein saidlocking pin is particularly adapted to be received be a receivingaperture formed within said undercarriage structure, such that saiddrawer is normally held stationary relative to said undercarriagestructure, and wherein the removal of said locking pin from saidreceiving aperture enables said drawer to be pulled outwardly fromeither side of said undercarriage.

5. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein saidwheel drive means includes a two speed, forward-reverse transmissionhaving a speed control arm and a directional control arm extendingtherefrom, and a transmission control linkage operatively connected tosaid two speed, forward-reverse transmission for actuating the same,said transmission control linkage comprising: a control lever moveablymounted adjacent said feed cart and adapted to move both laterally andfore-and-aft, an intermediate actuating tab fixed to said control leverand operatively connected to one of said control arms extending fromsaid transmission for actuating said one arm in response to thefore-and-aft movement of said control lever; a bell crank pivotallymounted adjacent said intermediate actuating tab and operativelyconnected to said other control arm extending from said two speed,forward-reverse transmission, said bell crank having a stud fixedthereto and confined within an elongated fore-and-aft extending slotformed within said actuating tab, whereby foreand-aft movement of saidcontrol lever is relatively ineffectual relative to said bell crank, andwherein lateral movement of said control levdr operates to pivot saidbell crank and thereby actuate said other arm extending from said twospeed, forward-reverse transmission.

6. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 5, wherein saidtransmission control linkage includes a pair of generally parallelextending connecting rods, one rod interconnected between onetransmission control arm and said bell crank, and the other connectingrod interconnected between the other transmission control arm and saidactuating tab, said other connecting rod being particularly arrangedrelative to the total transmission control linkage such that lateralmovement of said control lever is relatively ineffectual to actuate saidother connecting rod and the transmission arm connected thereto sincesaid last mentioned rod tends to swing in an arc in response to suchlateral movement.

7. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein saidwheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor with said wheelmeans comprises: a transmission drivingly interconnected to saidelectric motor; an adjustable jack shaft having a first chain sprocketfixed thereto and drivingly interconnected with said transmission by afirst chain, said adjustable shaft having a second chain sprocketdrivingly interconnected with a wheel differential by a second chain;and an adjustably mounted structure having said shaft rotatively mountedtherein and particularly adapted to move said adjustable shaft generallyvertically and foreand-aft relative to said transmission and wheeldifferential for adjusting the tension in said first and second chains.

8. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 7, wherein saidadjustable mounting structure includes a pair of laterally spacedbrackets having said adjustable shaft rotatively mounted therein, saidbrackets being adjustably mounted for both vertical and fore-and-aftmovement to an inner support structure extending from said undercarriagestructure.

9. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 8, wherein saidinner support structure and said brackets are provided withcorresponding vertical and fore-andaft slots and bolt assemblies securedwithin said slots. 10. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim9, wherein said brackets include a draw bolt assembly for fore-and-aftadjusting of said shaft.

l i i l

1. A battery powered feed cart having a relatively long, high and narrowbody profile comprising in combination: an undercarriage chassisstructure having a pair of spaced apart side walls; wheel means mountedunderneath said undercarriage chassis structure; a feed box disposedabove said undercarriage chassis structure; means mounted within saidfeed box for distributing feed therefrom; an electric motor mounted tosaid undercarriage structure; auger drive means interconnected betweensaid electric motor and said auger drive means for driving an augermeans; wheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor with saidwheel means for driving said wheel means; a battery drawer transverselydisposed and slideably mounted generally midway between the side wallsof said undercarriage structure having a relatively low and centrallocation within said feed cart and being slidable outwardly from eitherside of said undercarriage structure; and battery means disposed withinsaid battery drawer and operatively connected to said electric motor forpowering said electric motor.
 2. A battery powered feed cart, as recitedin claim 1, wherein said battery drawer extends substantially the widthof said undercarriage structure and includes a pair of laterally spacedupright end plates which are generally co-planar with said side walls ofsaid undercarriage structure when said battery drawer is whollycontained within said undercarriage structure.
 3. A battery powered feedcart, as recited in claim 2, wherein said battery drawer includes a flatbottom plate extending between said end plates and wherein said drawerincludes a plurality of rollers disposed on each side thereof with saidrollers being engageable with a pair of guide rails disposedtransversely within said undercarriage structure.
 4. A battery poweredfeed cart, as recited in claim 3, wherein said battery drawer includes aspring biased locking pin, and wherein said locking pin is particularlyadapted to be received be a receiving aperture formed within saidundercarriage structure, such that said drawer is normally heldstationary relative to said undercarriage structure, and wherein theremoval of said locking pin from said receiving aperture enables saiddrawer to be pulled outwardly from either side of said undercarriage. 5.A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein said wheeldrive means includes a two speed, forward-reverse transmission having aspeed control arm and a directional control arm extending therefrom, anda transmission control linkage operatively connected to said two speed,forward-reverse transmission for actuating the same, said transmissioncontrol linkage comprising: a control lever moveably mounted adjacentsaid feed cart and adapted to move both laterally and fore-and-aft, anintermediate actuating tab fixed to said control lever and operativelyconnected to one of said control arms extending from said transmissionfor actuating said one arM in response to the fore-and-aft movement ofsaid control lever; a bell crank pivotally mounted adjacent saidintermediate actuating tab and operatively connected to said othercontrol arm extending from said two speed, forward-reverse transmission,said bell crank having a stud fixed thereto and confined within anelongated fore-and-aft extending slot formed within said actuating tab,whereby fore-and-aft movement of said control lever is relativelyineffectual relative to said bell crank, and wherein lateral movement ofsaid control levdr operates to pivot said bell crank and thereby actuatesaid other arm extending from said two speed, forward-reversetransmission.
 6. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 5,wherein said transmission control linkage includes a pair of generallyparallel extending connecting rods, one rod interconnected between onetransmission control arm and said bell crank, and the other connectingrod interconnected between the other transmission control arm and saidactuating tab, said other connecting rod being particularly arrangedrelative to the total transmission control linkage such that lateralmovement of said control lever is relatively ineffectual to actuate saidother connecting rod and the transmission arm connected thereto sincesaid last mentioned rod tends to swing in an arc in response to suchlateral movement.
 7. A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1,wherein said wheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor withsaid wheel means comprises: a transmission drivingly interconnected tosaid electric motor; an adjustable jack shaft having a first chainsprocket fixed thereto and drivingly interconnected with saidtransmission by a first chain, said adjustable shaft having a secondchain sprocket drivingly interconnected with a wheel differential by asecond chain; and an adjustably mounted structure having said shaftrotatively mounted therein and particularly adapted to move saidadjustable shaft generally vertically and fore-and-aft relative to saidtransmission and wheel differential for adjusting the tension in saidfirst and second chains.
 8. A battery powered feed cart, as recited inclaim 7, wherein said adjustable mounting structure includes a pair oflaterally spaced brackets having said adjustable shaft rotativelymounted therein, said brackets being adjustably mounted for bothvertical and fore-and-aft movement to an inner support structureextending from said undercarriage structure.
 9. A battery powered feedcart, as recited in claim 8, wherein said inner support structure andsaid brackets are provided with corresponding vertical and fore-and-aftslots and bolt assemblies secured within said slots.
 10. A batterypowered feed cart, as recited in claim 9, wherein said brackets includea draw bolt assembly for fore-and-aft adjusting of said shaft.